Lift Your Voice

One of the best part of New Dawn Singers, besides the amazing and amazingly talented people involved, is that it is a ministry. They perform gospel concerts at local, and some not so local, churches. The kids and I performed a mime called "Bondages" about the things of the world that bind us to the world and keep us away from Jesus. It is not always easy to find the time to rehearse, load equipment, drive to point A, unload and set up equipment, make ourselves pretty, perform, unhook and load equipment, then drive home. But this group made it look easy. Here's a look at our days.

This was our itinerary. The churches fed us before each show, except the first show. They had cookies and punch after. So many cookies, so little time! One of my favorites was the Nazarene church in Warren, PA. Amazingly friendly people that took the time to prepare what I can only describe as a feast. We met a lovely man that taught the big girl and the baby how to make aluminum foil roses. There was a sweet lady that dragged the kids into the kitchen after the concert to pack up the leftover desserts for them. You know the kids were kicking and screaming over that, lol. The church in Chapmanville had a pizza party for us before the service and sent us home with 3 extra large pizzas. The pastor moved me to tears with his short sermon after the performance. Great people that love Jesus.

This is our group at the last church. JK, third from left, soloed during Psalm 62. JB, far left, had a solo in Mountain Mover. PW, on the far right, sang His Eye Is on the Sparrow. All of these voices together will give you goosebumps...

New Dawn also performed at an assisted living facility. They did a combo of the gospel show and a patriotic show. There was one sweet lady sitting just to my left that sang every song. Every word to every song. I told her she was wonderful and she smiled from ear to ear.

This is PH singing By and By. He was so. stinking. good!! Good grief, y'all, I wish I had video so you could hear him!

 

PW singing his solo with JK looking on. Every time he sang, he gave it his all and you could tell when he sang that he loved it.

 

This was from the 6 o'clock show. It was a God and Country show. This is CC and PW singing I've Just Seen Jesus by Sandy Patty. The power behind this song and the group when they joined in was awesome and powerful.

Some of the stained glass windows and the organ in the last church we performed in. Stunning...

Most of the churches were old and had lots of narrow, steep stairs. I didn't care for that at all. But the people more than made up for that. We were fed, we were prayed for, we were loved on by people that thought we were there to bless them with song. In reality, we were blessed by them and all they did for us. It was very humbling and a huge honor to meet all the people that attended the concerts. We were blessed as much, if not more, than we blessed.

Have a great day.

Letting Go

We had huge milestones this year.

It was the big girl's senior year and as of May 20, she is officially graduated!! It was a hard fought battle, but, by golly, it's done. The dance load was huge this year, but that was lightened when we got kicked out. That's a different story for another blog, but you can bet your bippidies, it's coming out (full of angst, jealousy, butt hurt, and back stabbing. I cannot make this stuff up). Her school load was heavy this year. She could have saved herself a lot of trouble, but you know how that goes. Hello, senioritis, it's been a while since I've seen you. We both had a HUGE case of that. We all know the only cure for that is to be done, done, done with school, which was not an option. Here are some pics of our year.

Senior pics. The struggle is real, y'all. I teared up during the shoot and balled like a baby when I got all the pics back. She is so stinkin' gorgeous, but that goes all the way through to her soul. She is kind and generous and giving and loving and funny and intelligent and here come the tears again!!

 



I have more company pictures, but they're on my old phone, darnit. I might just have to do another post. Well, ok, if you insist...

 



My kids can hula hoop like nobody's business. At the kingdom one day, there was a nice cast member handing them out. So my kids took them. And I took this! There was a little girl that said "Mommy, I want to hoop like that!" Me, too, child, me, too.

 

This amazing young lady is one of our favorite people on earth. She choreographed the big girl's solo, gave my kids dance lessons after the big debacle, and found opportunities for the big girl to present her solo. I have so much respect for her and her outlook on life. I will forever be grateful for her spirit and grace.

 



The big girl and her bestie attended a couple of cons this year. Her bestie, A, likes to cosplay and so the big girl joined her. A is Kylo Ren and the big girl is Rey. They were like rock stars when they walked in and pretty much all day. I had no idea what a big deal it would be, but they had an amazing time.

 

 

They also went to Megacon this year and had a huge Lord of the Rings group. The big girl was Arwen, A was Legolas. They also had Boromir, Gandalf, Faramir, and Gimli. Along the way they met a group of guys that were Gondorian troops, so they all took a pic together. That was super cool!

 

 

 

So what else? She had a big role in our Christmas play this year. It was bigger than what we've done in years past and she rocked it. She got her driver's license, thank God! That has been a blessing. She performed at a recital at a friend's studio. She performed in skits at church. I know there's so much more, but I'll be darned if I can remember anything else right now.

 

What does her future hold? So much! This summer she and her siblings will be touring with the New Dawn Singers. If you happen to be in Pennsylvania this summer, message me and I'll let you know where she'll be. She wants to attend a special effects make-up school that's fairly close. She will be auditioning, auditioning, auditioning when she turns 18 because she wants to dance at the House of the Mouse. And later, she'll attend a local technical school to get her cosmetology license so she can work in special effects when she's done with that portion of her schooling.

 

And, as always, her future is bright and wide open! I am so excited to see where the Lord leads her. Y'all hang on. I know this is going to be a great ride!

 

Have a great day.

Lucky No. 7

One of my favorite things is to sign on to Blogger and see new blogs. It just makes me happy. Mine have had the shades drawn for a little bit, but let's see what I can do to change that.

1. Summer dance. Oh, I love to watch my kids dance. The baby is taking ballet and hip hop this summer. This is her first exposure to both. She loves them. That makes me happier than you could ever know. Our hip hop teacher makes my heart go pitter pat. She is awesome and creative and she makes me smile. Ballet is not that mamby pamby stuff you think it is. You should have seen the big girl's class sweating it out today. Oh. My. Giddy. Aunt. I have to say that I was jealous. Sounds weird, I know. Just watching them made me wish I could move like that. The big girl is also taking tap. Her first class is this week and she's a little nervous. The boy is taking ballet and hip hop. His first hip hop class was today. He rocked it. I am so proud of my kids stepping out of their boxes.
2. Summer camp. My two big kids just got back from camp. They love going to camp and I love sending them! The boy had a "primitive" cabin. That meant the bathrooms and showers were in a separate building from where they were sleeping. The big girl had a cabin full of girls she knew and some new girls. Her cabin counselor was one of the cabin counselors she'd had her first year of camp. 4 years ago. What is that?!? How could that much time have passed? The boy came home with a gaga ball wound on his hand which is much better than the goose egg he came home with last year. The most important part of camp: they come home on fire for God! The passion is amazing and I pray it stays with them forever!
3. Summer reading. Yeah, that hasn't happened. We normally join 2 or 3 library programs, but summer dance and summer camp is what we've been focusing on. We're reading, just not with the library. We finished A Wrinkle in Time before the kids left for camp, so now we need a new after dinner book. Hubby and the kids are asking for the next 39 Clues book. On to the library website I go.  
4. Summer bowling. We signed up for Kids Bowl Free. If you haven't, do it. We pay for shoes and that's it. There is a group of us that plan a date and get together. It has been great for the kids and great for the mamas. If we an all make it, we do. If not, we don't. It has been a mucho, mucho good time.
5. Summer cooking. We are at the dance studio quite a bit this summer, so I've been making lunch and taking it with. And sharing. So far we've had black beans and rice, chicken salad, and chicken spaghetti. Tomorrow, I'm making a 7 layer dip (with 6 layers) and tortillas. Hubby was a sweetheart and made tortillas tonight. The big girl shredded a huge block of cheese. I made guacamole. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
6. Summer school. Yeah, when is that going to happen? It's not. But I am planning my little heart out. I am facilitating a biology co-op starting in the fall. I am sooooo looking forward to it. I'm a freak, I know. I want to have a plan to start with and see how our dance schedule falls in to place. There may be a lot more crock potting going on. Oh, and I learned how to use the timer feature on my oven! That comes in handy, let me tell you what! The big girl has a ton of work to do this year. We did cut down her online classes from 2 to1 just to see how the work load goes. Hopefully it goes well...
7. Summer yuckiness. Lots of stress in our home this season. We were working on getting our home loan modified. It didn't work the way we wanted it to for a while, but that is finally settled and done! We breathe a small sigh until September when it becomes final. We are on probation until then. Mother's Day was so hard for me to get through. I absolutely miss my mom. There is a hole on my heart that is the size of the universe. And then there was my birthday. The last time I spoke to my mom was my birthday last year. Blech!! 9 days after my birthday, she was gone. I have just been one big bundle of nerves and bitchiness. To top it all off, I've been stress eating. I have done very well with that for the last year and a half, but throw that ugly cocktail together and I had to wash it down with something. That something turned into everything I could shove in my mouth. I've gained 10 pounds, but it feels like 50. Here's to season's past, and the end to stress eating. Please. And thank you.

Well, winner, winner, chicken dinner! I made it to 7. Who would have thunk it could happen? Me, really, because I had a list. Me and my stinkin' lists. But, if I don't write it down, it didn't happen.

Have a great day.

Bees Knees

I don't know if bees have knees or not. I know the saying is supposed to mean that something is really great. I think my blog is great, but that's just me. I just had to use a bee reference, though. You'll see why in a minute. Ready for the journey?

• We are taking a field trip to our local enough zoo to take a beekeeping class. We aren't going to keep bees, but it would be great to know what makes them tick and how do we attract more of them to our garden. I'd also like to find out what the beekeeper's views are about hive collapse. I think it's pesticides. Poison is supposed to kill things so why not bees. And the larger the colony the better chance of spreading it to the rest of the bees. That isn't why we're going, either. We're going because we like honey and we think it's way cool. We have to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants, they supply the helmets. That's gonna bee a funny pic. I made a funny. In honor of our field trip, we are going to forgo most of our schoolwork and do a bee lap book and unit study. We are still going to do bible and math, but how fun. I checked out a bunch of books from the library. The baby has read all but 1. Guess who's going to teach the bee unit study? Not really. I even checked out a Magic School Bus movie just for fun. 
• Speaking of watching movies, we watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for our family movie night. I haven't seen that movie in probably 30 years. The kids and I had listened to it as a book on CD. It was completely different from the book, but we all enjoyed it. Hubby had only seen parts of it. We were singing the CCBB song all night. It's very catchy! I had no idea Roald Dahl had written the screenplay. We heart Roald Dahl. I am waiting for Mary Poppins to come in. I also haven't seen that one in years. My kids haven't seen it at all that I know of. I am a bad mama. It's in transit, so hopefully we'll get to pick it up come Monday or Tuesday. 
• We did a pretty good cleaning of the house before my dad and step mom came to visit. Believe it or not, except for the kitchen, which is the hub of our home, everything has basically stayed that way. If I can keep ahead of the hand washing, my island stays clear. I've even mopped a couple of times since they left. That, in and of itself, is tantamount to a miracle. The baby's room, however, may be the downfall. That poor room. 
• I make our own broths. One of my favorites to make is veggie. I keep a gallon size baggie in the fridge in the crisper drawer. When it's about 1/2 full, I make stock. I save the peels from my garlic press, the ends I cut off the onions, potato and carrot peels, zucchini ends I cut off, and spinach leaves and stems. I also save some of the cabbage leaves I pull off the plants in the tower. I normally make it in the crock pot, but I changed my mind last time. I pulled our big stock pot out from under the cabinet and made it on the stove top. I let it cook for a few hours. I like it much better. My house smelled amazing! It smelled like veggie soup, only better. I used it to make brown rice and a couple of other things. It was so good. That has now become the way I prefer to make veggie stock. 
• We had our first ever tailgate party at youth tonight. It went very well I think. There was some last minute stress that required us taking our little table top grill, but it was all good. We had grilled hot doge, brats, and hamburgers. We also did chicken wings, but we baked those since the grill was small. We had a pretty good turnout. 
• We are looking for some trick or treating options. We normally trick or treat at my in-laws with the rest of the family, but that is not happening this year. My MIL said she cancelled it. Funny since I'm not sure anyone will be there this year anyway. I already have a bead on some fall festivals we're planning on and some trunk or treats planned. We aren't keeping the candy we get this year. Our dentist has a program where you can turn in your candy for chances to win prizes. I wonder what the prizes will be this year. We're hoping for a Kindle Fire, but we'll see.   
• I am trying to be grateful for the loaner computer. I really am. When I have to print, I get extremely frustrated. There are only 2 USB drives that work. I have 3 things to plug in usually: my mouse, my flash drive and the printer. The process is mouse and flash drive, click what I need to print, unplug mouse and plug in printer, after printing unplug printer and plug mouse back in. Pain in my butt! But, we have a computer, we have a computer, WE HAVE A COMPUTER. Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I think I was trying to convince myself. Gift horse, gift horse, gift horse...
• I have to write everything down or I'll forget. You have to email me, text me, or social network me. I use the notes feature on my phone like it's going out of style. If I can set an alarm to remind me as well, then bully. I have lost my mind. Wait, I think I already knew that. Let me check my notes.

And there's my alarm. Well, not really, but I did mark stuff off my list. Now to fill it up again.

Have a great day.       

Aaaaahhhhhh...

Sometimes I let anxiety get the best of me. Ok, maybe more than sometimes. Case in point: freaking out about our schooling and our schedule and how in the world the two were going to mesh. Well, actually, except for an impromptu trip to buy dance shoes and run errands, it's meshed very well.

We have had a couple of days that just seemed like we couldn't get any work done at all. It was one road block after another. It was driving me crazy. There was no reason we should be working at 3 in the afternoon. Sometimes, it be's like that, to quote Pink. Really, though, that should not be our norm. I'm going to keep an eye on things and see what else needs to be tweaked.

It doesn't help that the kids are each taking two dance classes. We hadn't even started and I was worried we would have to drop classes already. Science is taking a huge chunk of time for us. Bible study got moved to a different day and we had not one night off during the week. Not one. Panic set in. And it brought a bag, like it was going to stay for awhile. Well, crap.

Guess what? Stuff happens and things change. Sometimes that's good, but sometimes not. Sometimes it's a combination of things. Here's what happened.

I cancelled bible study. We showed up, but nobody else did. I was expecting that. I had gotten messages and texts from the kids that normally showed and others that they weren't going to be able to participate. I gave it a try just to see if anyone was going to make it. Nope. 6:30 came around and we turned off the lights and left. As much as I absolutely loved facilitating that study, it was almost like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I didn't know how we were going to be out 5 nights a week and still function the next day. We don't have to. We have a night off.

Dance! The kids started this week. Everyone is loving their classes this year. I love, love, love to hear "I had the best time!" all the way home. If it were just one of them, that would be one thing. It was all of them. After every class. The class times are late enough, too, that if we need to school a little longer on certain days, it is all good. We have the time. We are out quite a bit, but I'm going to see if we can move one of the classes. There is a jazz class right after the baby's tap class that I'm going to see if she can try. If she does well, that cuts another night out for us.

Our impromptu trip was because the baby told me the morning of her tap class that her shoes were too small. Off we go to buy tap shoes. The kids got the majority of their work done while I was in the shower. They also swapped laundry and folded towels and packed dance bags. If they can do that, I think it's going to be ok.

My only concern at this time is science co-op. It's not even co-op, it's the work load that goes with co-op. It takes us quite awhile to get through the lesson at home. The kids need to know the lesson before we get to co-op. Then it gets reviewed there and the labs are done. The next week, we finish the chapter and test. There is so much info in the books. And we have to do it all. Except last week because I was tired. I haven't been sleeping well. I skipped the last 2 or 3 pages. Guess what they talked about in co-op? That went well. Or not. I don't like the way the information is presented in the curriculum we're using. The man that wrote it likes the sound of his own voice. He uses "thus" and "nevertheless" in almost every paragraph, but not always the right way. I think someone has a confidence issue.

Piano is going well for the girls. I think the boy may start. I'm not sure. He hasn't shown any interest in getting back to guitar or playing or practicing. We thought maybe drums, but we're still not sure. That would mean acquiring a drum set for him to practice on. I told him to pick one, but he hasn't made a decision yet. We'll see where he ends up.

I feel better about the extras working with school now that they've all started. We are taking next week off. My dad and step mom are coming to visit! Yea!! They'll only be here for a few days, but we are so excited. It has been about 4 years since we've seen them. Then we go back at it. Tomorrow is Rock the Universe! Group 1 Crew and TobyMac are going to be so happy to see me. I mean, I'll be so happy to see them. Long day, very early morning and sleeping til noon. I'm taking a breath. And out...aaaahhhhhh.

Have a nice day.
          

Something Old, Something Not So New

My computer is fried. Makes me mad, too, because I still have pictures I need to get off of it. In time, in time. Anyway, we had to borrow a computer (this thing is so ancient), then we didn't have a keyboard, then we couldn't get the mouse to work. One thing after another just makes me want my computer back! Well, really, it makes me want a new one because I am a consumer. Anyway, while I have a minute, here's an incredibly long run down, catch up, freaking out because school is about to start blog. Grab a drink. You may need one. I know I do! Shall we?

• The last two weeks were incredibly busy. The big girl and I volunteered at church for our Music and Art Camp.The boy and the baby participated and they had a great time. I was exhausted. The next week was VBS. I remember the years when the kids went to at least four a summer. Those were the days! Now I have 2 kids that have aged out and one that only has a couple of years left of VBS. I am so sad. We were all tired when we got home. The great thing about the programs is that they offered breakfast and lunch. The bad thing was the breakfast was some version of toast (buttered, cinnamon, cheese) and lunch was processed to within an inch of it's life. I got to the point that I couldn't feed my kids that junk anymore and took lunches for them. Then Friday morning I woke up late and there went lunch. Oh well, I did what I could. We were all regretting it by the time we got home. It was the thought that counted I guess. And nap time was much appreciated!!
• I have most of my curriculum and two weeks of lesson plans done. I was waiting for two books I had loaned a friend. I got those back and went to planning. Then my computer died. The history I was planning on using for the boy and the baby is on a disc. Kinda hard to use that when you don't have a computer. It's a good thing I had a whole history curriculum I could use with them. I got it when I was given six boxes of curriculum last spring. Now we have a loaner computer so we're back to the original plan. Thank goodness, too, because my back up history was a TON of work. Like I need that this year.
• I've decided to add Latin to our school year. I am nothing if not tenacious. Let's do more work!! Ugh!! I've been thinking about it for the last year or so. The big girl has to have a foreign language for high school. She wanted to take French, but I have no desire to teach or learn French. German, I'm good with. The kids want to wait until after Latin to learn German. Um, ok, whatever. I'll order that in a couple of weeks and get it in the lesson plan. Won't this be fun? 
• I don't get our dance schedule until the Friday before we start school. This should be interesting. The big girl wants to take ballet and jazz. The boy wants to take tap and hip hop. The baby wants to take tap and jazz. Now to get the schedule to work the way I want it to. Please, please, please. I am excited already for recital and it's not even here yet. I'm skipping dancing this year, maybe. We'll see how the schedule works out and when the rest of the classes are. If I can swing a class or two a month, that would be awesome. That's up in the air, but thankfully, not for much longer.
• I have a folder I keep for field trips and activities. I keep mementos like programs or flyers or ticket stubs. We have quite the array right now. When we were in Texas, we got to go to Grossology at the Museum of Science and History. We also got to go to the Rancher's Museum and another exhibit called Risk. They were both very cool. We still haven't made it to the Texas Civil War Museum, but we're working on it. There is a local place that is like a "retirement" home for missionaries to Africa. I would like to schedule the tour and talk and then visit the gift shop. The items benefit the various projects in Africa that the missionaries started. Pretty cool, I think. I'm not real sure when that will happen, but it's on my list. I would also like to visit a local tractor museum and an apiary. They are both relatively close, just in opposite directions. Lots of great ideas but if you have another, bring it on. I'll add it to the list.
• Summer reading was a bust. By the time we got back from Texas and had some processing time, there were only two classes left for the big girl. Pokemon Club was in full swing for the boy, but that's come and go. You don't have to be there for the whole thing. There were also cool science classes on Wednesdays, but we had Music and Art Camp and VBS. Maybe next summer...
• We worked on the garden today. Between hubby working long hours and our volunteering, the house had gone to heck in a hand basket and so had the yard. Thank goodness for our neighbor mowing our front yard. We removed some old cabbage plants and a couple of strawberry plants from the tower. We're going to add kale and bok choy. We've been needing to move the sweet potatoes, so we did. And pulled up 5 pounds of those babies! We didn't treat them very well, but they grew anyway and we are thankful. We've started a new crop and hope to treat these better. We had to pull all of our cucumbers and some of our tomatoes. That was heart breaking. We are starting some beets, brussel sprouts, chard, and carrots. We are looking for okra seeds. We may have to go with seedlings if we can find them. We are babying the strawberries through the heat and are hoping they last until the weather cools down some. I hope the weather cools down this fall. We even have corn. We're still not sure how it lived, but ok. The bell peppers have been loving the rain. They just multiply like rabbits overnight. Now if they would get a little more size to them.
• The heat has been oppressive. It's like having a hot, wet blanket thrown over your head every time you walk outside. Our saving grace is the pool! Hubby worked really hard a few weeks ago and got the pool up and running. It is so nice to have. One day after VBS, I dumped all my stuff at the door, cleared out my pockets, and crawled straight in the pool, clothes and all. It had been one of those mornings. The baby told the big girl I was in the pool. The big girl didn't believe her, so the baby pointed out the window. I think the big girl wanted to put me in time out. She didn't thank goodness! I took the kids down to the dollar store to get pool toys. I let them spend a little money and everybody got what they wanted. I got noodles. What can I say? I like to float.

I know there's more, but I'll be darned if I can think of it. I cannot stand to type on this ancient keyboard, but at this point, it's better than nothing. Maybe.

Have a great day.        

Just Some Pics

I was scrolling through my phone looking at some of the pics. I needed to get them off my phone and onto a blog. So this is what you get:

The kids got haircuts. Thank goodness for that. I had been trying since Thanksgiving and we finally got it done in January. The big girl debated about getting bangs. She finally went with a yes. I think they look really good. Makes her look grown up. The effect in person is much more pronounced. My park mamas said she isn't allowed to have bangs ever again. I agree.

The boy, on the other hand wanted a mohawk. You should know I am not one of those moms that is super conservative when it comes to hair. OK, I'm not super conservative about a lot of things. I told him I didn't care, but the weather was about to be cold and he probably didn't want a mostly bald head for that. He agreed and we compromised. So this summer, the boy may actually sport a mohawk. We'll see.

This is part of Caution, our youth praise band. OMG, they are so good! I'm not just saying that because I'm their mama. All of these kids have such a passion for God. They are super talented and it shows. And look, there's the big girl!

This was a Christmas puzzle I got off the clearance rack. Gosh, I love an after holiday sale. This one was fun, too. The house almost got us, but we won. Looks pretty good.

Why on earth would I include this blurry pic? Because this is my boy, HL, being baptised. He texted me that afternoon to tell me he was being baptised at the church that meets at our church. That small church has embraced our kids and made them welcome. They meet on our campus and the kids really enjoy it. When HL called, I knew we had to be there. So very proud of his decision to reaffirm his faith and choose to recommit himself to Jesus. I could cry all over again. Love that boy!! He is not a boy anymore, but a young man. There I go again, sniff.

This was a fortune I got. All I have to say is, well, duh.

 The kids did a tea party at book club. Frommer's is running a contest and the librarian tied the England guide with the Harry Potter series and a tea party was born. We missed the meeting before, when they made the sign. I forgot to put it on our calendar. But we made the tea party! The tea was also Harry Potter tea. There were four flavors and they were all named after the houses at Hogwarts. Too cool.

Some days, I could smack him. Hubby had a day off, so he came to the park with us. He fished most of the time, but he needed an activity break. On the ripstick he went. Whatever. So jealous, and I'm not afraid to admit it.

We usually go to the same pumpkin patch every year. We found this one a couple of years ago and just love it. They have cool pumpkins. You have to love the butt pumpkins. I mean, really. They look like butts. And this year, the brain pumpkins were way too cool. They look like they have a dreaded skin disease and you shouldn't touch them. But you can't help but touch them. And take pictures for the blog.

My poor sleepy boy! I just had to. You would think he would use his neck pillow. Yeah, no.

Not sure why this pic isn't with the other one, but this is HL when he came up from being dunked. Oh, there I go...

The kids and I went to a local park at Christmas to look at the lights. We had some time between dance classes. We normally go after we open presents with the rest of the family on Christmas Eve. Since we weren't doin that this year, I made some time to take them. We like running around under the lights. The tree lights are synchronized with music. They have bleachers set up for you to sit and watch, so we did.

This is the group of kids that met for the tea party. Not sure why the big girl is standing so far away or why she looks so miserable, but I have an idea. It got better and she even laughed.

That's it for now. I do have an update blog working and I need to post the pics of our airport field trip with the baby's girls club. That was cool. We even got to see the tower. What a view!!

Have a great day.

Organized Chaos

Yup, that's my mind. Well, maybe not the organized part. But it sounds good, doesn't it? Several of my blogger friends used to belong to a blog that used a "daybook" style of writing. It gave you categories and you blog about those. I like it, so that's what you get today. That means an excuse for bullet points. Party on:

• I am listening to...Matisyahu's "One Day". My iPod is cranked and ready for this blog. The shuffle feature is a wonderful thing.
• Outside my window...it is a bright, sunny morning, but chilly as all get out. It won't break 60 today. I live in a tropical region so that's cold for us. By Tuesday it should be warmer, thank goodness!
• I am wearing...kitty pajamas and my robe. And I'm still chilly. I'm also wearing my new slippers. I needed new slippers. My old ones were literally falling apart. I got two new pair! There was a sale and I had a coupon. Love that!
• Around the house...there are piles everywhere. As long as Hoarders doesn't show up, I'm ok. I plan to work on that today. My bedroom is as bad as the kids', if not worse. I don't sleep well in a messy room, so hopefully cleaning up will help my insomnia. Please?!?
• From the schoolroom...we are plugging away. We changed the big girl's algebra. Again. She felt like she needed to "reinforce her foundation". Ok, smarty girl. We are back to a full schedule, including extras. The boy started back his guitar lessons, the girls started piano, and we are all back to dance. I am having an awful time getting science plugged into our schedule, so I'm skipping it this year. The kids are more interested in continuing our art study. It's easier to put that into the schedule so I did. Loving it! We are also back to our history. We are expanding westward. Lewis and Clark just discovered the Pacific Ocean.
• From the tower...I picked two strawberries this morning. I may eat them before the kids get up. They'll never know. Except the big girl who can read this on Facebook, but she's not here this morning, so I call hers! There are 6 heads of broccoli in various states of maturity. Very excited about that. We have spring crops that are seedlings and ready to go into the tower. We are going to try to wait until Monday since we have a couple of nights of low temps to get through. We did buy an aquarium heater to keep the water warm and we'll wrap the plants tonight, just in case.
• I am reading...and reading and reading. Right now, I am reading Explosive Eighteen. I just finished Water for Elephants. Great book! I am not seeing the movie. Robert Pattinson just doesn't do it for me as the lead. I was reading Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank... by Celia Rivenbark. It is laugh out loud funny! I only get the Janet Evanovich book for a week, so I need to read it and get it back. I also started The Hunger Games for book club, but I gotta finish my book. Our after dinner book is The Bronze Bow. The whole family is liking it. 
• I am researching...coconut manna. I found it while I was researching prices for coconut oil. The name kind of intrigued me. I also found this article. Scroll down and read the comments, too. Very interesting. Then of course, the question comes up, how do I use it? Well, there's this, too. There are other brands, as mentioned in the article above, but these links were the first ones I found. I'm going to look at my vegetarian recipe sites and see if they have anything. I'm debating about it. It almost seems like a splurge, but then you look at the health benefits and what it can do for you and maybe not. More research ahead of me before I make a decision. 
• I am thankful...for my youth kids and our bible study. It has been eye opening. I am so proud of these young people that want so badly to learn as much as they can about Jesus and follow Him. I am proud of the young men and women they are and are becoming. We had a great discussion last time about vesting and investing in youth. All I have to say is that our church needs to wake up. You are missing a vital opportunity to watch amazing people grow closer to God, and you are missing the opportunity to be part of it.  

That's all I have for now. I think that's probably enough, don't you?

Have a great day.

Love is...

my babies.

Happy Mother's Day!